An EV by Mercedes-Benz with 500 km range on the horizon

17/08/2016

According to the latest news, Mercedes-Benz is pursuing its path in the EV arena. The German carmaker who recently revealed a prototype of its electric truck dubbed Urban eTruck, announced a project to produce an electric vehicle with 500 km range. It’s an attempt to compete with the Californian carmaker Tesla and their famous Tesla S. Mercedes-Benz’s new electric car will surely be on exhibition at the Paris car show that will take place in October 2016.

It’s difficult to underestimate Mercedes-Benz’s capacity to compete with Tesla, but the latter is likely to not be the only rival the German carmaker is aiming at. Mercedes will probably try to compete with the BMW i3, which was recently upgraded by adding a range extender.

An automaker that is set for the race

With electric battery costs falling rapidly, and continued strong interest in electric cars, “It is very important to get the right timing” said Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Mercedes-Benz parent company, Daimler. Questioned last month by an analyst on second-quarter financial results of 2015, Zetsche said“ As a tendency and as a trend, we have become more bullish in that regard.”

Mercedes-Benz believes that if they want to achieve this goal, the company needs to invest heavily in its own research and development towards EVs. This should be done as part of a bigger plan to increase the total research and development spending from levels of $ 6,3 billion in 2014 and $ 7,3 billion in 2015.

A few more tricks up their sleeve

With the recent presentation of the Urban eTruck prototype, Mercedes-Benz’s future is mapped out for several years and EVs lovers can bet on it. But, let’s forget classic four-wheeled EVs for a minute, from now on, we should get used to the fact that Mercedes-Benz will be producing electric trucks designed for delivery tasks in cities.

For the moment, we know that the German brand’s sales in the U.S. have been tepid. But in reality, one advantage the latter has is its network of dealerships; the sales and the support they offer are the secret weapon.

According to Reuters, the German brand known for developing a distinct elegant design for its EVs, will take advantage of its presence at the Paris auto show to seduce electric-lovers. What better occasion than the Parisian show to do so!